About this book

This unique book focuses attention on the failure of current efforts to cleanup the Chesapeake Bay and suggests an approach often used in cleaning up environmentally damaged sites. While military munitions sources contribute significantly to the pollution and degradation of Chesapeake Bay, they have been completely overlooked in many of the efforts to restore the Bay. Death of the Chesapeake explores this important aspect of the nation's environmental health. The book also recognizes for the first time that efforts to restore the Bay have failed because of the violation of a fundamental precept of environmental cleanup; that is, to sample the site and see what's there. The Bay itself has never been sampled.

Thus, Death of the Chesapeake presents a view of the environmental condition of Chesapeake Bay that is totally unique. It covers a part of the history of the Bay that is not widely known, including how the Bay was formed. It presents a mixture of science, military history, and novel solutions to the Bay's degradation. In so doing, the author examines the military use of the Bay and reveals the extent that munitions dumpsites containing nitrogen and phosphorus as well as chemical warfare material are affecting the environment. The book concludes with the author's own cleanup plan, which, if implemented, would go a long way toward restoring health to the Bay. Death of the Chesapeake is supplemented with many photographs and maps.

Contents

Concise table of contents:

Preface xiiiSpecial Recognition for Those Who Enlightened the Author on Underwater Issues or on the Chesapeake Bay Itself xvList of Acronyms xviiIntroduction xix

1 The Formation of the Bay and Its Drainage Area 12 Nutrient Dynamics, Depletion, and Replenishment 73 Safety Issues with Old Munitions 154 Artillery Shells in the Bay 295 Bombs in the Bay 396 Mines and Torpedoes in the Bay 557 Military Munitions and Explosives Factories 618 Contamination from Military Constituents Leading to Environmental and Human Health Concerns 659 Chemical Weapons Sites on Chesapeake Bay or in the Watershed 7910 Military Facilities Grouped by Specific Areas or on Specific Rivers 10711 Radioactive Contamination 13712 PCB and Other Ship Contamination 14113 Environmental Justice 14914 Cleaning Up the Bay’s Munitons 153

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Biography

Richard D. Albright, a chemical weapons and ordnance expert, has a bachelor's from the University of Michigan, a master of science in environmental health from George Washington University and doctorates from Wayne State and an online university. A former Army officer, he wrote a science bestseller, Cleanup of Chemical and Explosive Munitions, now in its second edition; has testified before Congress, state government, and in federal courts on environmental issues. His work has been featured in Washingtonian magazine, The Washington Post, The News-Herald (Northeast Ohio), The Press of Atlantic City, The New York Times and The Kansas City Star. He has worked for 20 years to restore the Chesapeake Bay and sailed the Bay for 40 years. He won the Cafritz prize for his work cleaning up a chemical weapons site.